The present invention relates to eyewear and in particular to a lens locking device for eyewear.
Various forms of eyewear are well known. The prior art fails to provide a simple technique for locking removable lenses in position on an eyewear frame so that lenses can be conveniently changed. Further, the prior art does not provide a simple technique for locking a lens of eyewear in position using a minimal number of attachment points and so as to avoid distortion of the lens.
The prior art fails to provide a convenient and simple means for allowing a wearer of eyewear to select among various lenses for use with the eyewear, which holds the lens in position conveniently and allows the lens to be affixed in a simple manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,669 to Park shows a lens locked in position between a bridge bar and a nose support of the eyewear. However, the lens is located in a long channel which extends for substantially the entire length of the bridge bar. This creates difficulties in fastening the lens and in manufacturing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,526 to Lhospice shows a single attachment of the lens from above the nose support portion at the bridge bar. However, in this design the nose support portion itself is attached to the lens unit, making the lens unit itself more complex and thus interfering with easy interchangeability of lenses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,150 to Weber shows spectacles which attach above the nose support portion to the bridge bar and also to lower portions of the frame at a plurality of locations. Accordingly, this reference discloses a device which is complex and interferes with easy lens attachment and interchangeability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,410 to Lei shows a lens which is received in a channel similar to the Park reference and the nose piece is also attached to the lens, thus suffering from the same disadvantages as the references discussed above.
Other references include the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,321,444 Lin, 5,903,331 Lin, 4,674,851 Jannard, 4,951,322 Lin, 5,467,148 Conway, 5,796,460 Maturaporn and 5,777,714 Conway.
None of the prior art, however, shows a simple arrangement for providing a quick and convenient way for attaching an eyewear lens to a frame of the eyewear and which also facilitates interchangeability and removability of lenses that attach to the eyewear.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lens locking device which allows a lens to be easily, conveniently and removably attached to a frame of eyewear.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to facilitate the attachment of various interchangeable lenses to eyewear in a simple fashion.
The above and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a device for holding a lens of eyewear to an eyewear frame comprising: a first fastening portion disposed at approximately a mid point of a bridge bar of the eyewear frame and being disposed only near the midpoint, the first fastening portion having an attachment point for removably fastening the lens, a second fastening portion for removably fastening the lens disposed opposite the first fastening portion and being formed on a nose support of the eyewear, whereby a lens can be removably attached to the first and second fastening portions to removably secure the lens to the eyewear, there being no other attachment point for the lens to the eyewear frame.
The objects of the invention are also achieved by an eyewear frame comprising a bridge bar and two temple portions; the bridge bar having a first fastening portion disposed at approximately a midpoint of the bridge bar and being disposed only near the midpoint, the first fastening portion having an attachment point for removably fastening the lens, a nose support attached to the bridge bar, the nose support having at a bottom portion thereof a second fastening portion for removably fastening the lens, the second fastening portion being disposed opposite the first fastening portion; and a lens for removably attaching to the first and second fastening portions, the lens being attached to the eyewear frame by only the first and second fastening portions.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.